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A wide choice of topics covered from the dawn of history right up to present days . Many of these have a wider relevance than purely within the context of Strathearn . The author's viewpoint often is at variance with the accepted opinions espoused elsewhere eg The Jacobite Uprisings and The Reformation .

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I have in my collection , the original Rental Book for Ochtertyre Estate near Crieff covering the years 1865/ 1866 . That was some 150 years ago , and , as you would expect , things have, since then , changed more than a little ! In those far off days , the Laird was Sir Patrick Keith Murray ( born 27 January 1835 ) and his residence was Ochtertyre House built in 1785/1789 to the design of architect ,James McLeran . The Estate was a thriving source of income to the Murray family . The Rental Book shows the holdings of the Estatesplit into the three distinct areas all ownedby the Murray family . Thesewere Ochtertyre itself ( to thewest of Crieff ) , Fowlis Wester (east of Gilmerton ) and Fowlis Easterimmediatelywest of Dundee . TheRoll lists building leases , farms , holdings of labourers and cottars , grass parks and dwellings .

The old Cultoquhey demolished in the 19th CenturyMany of
our Scottish place names pose problems not only for visitors but indeed
for native Scots ! When I was married
a long time ago I settled down in
the small town of Milngavie north of Glasgow . Milngavie is pronounced Mil- guy as Kirkcaldy is
pronounced Kirk- caw – di and our delightful Strathearn village of Muthill is
pronounced Mewth- ill !

The present Cultoquhey which is now an hotel

Now that brings me to the subject of this “ blog “ - Cultoquhey . This ancient place
name is pronounced Cul- to – whey ! Its
roots in the mists of time have resulted
in at least source two interpretations of its Gaelic source
. Coillte a' Che meaning ‘the woods of Ce’. Ce was one of the seven sons from whom the Pictish
race was said to descend and this seems eminently possible .

During the 1930s,
Margaret Ethel Blair Oliphant wrote: "The
estate lies about three miles to the east of the town of Crieff at the gate of
the High…

Methven is a Parish and a village lying due
west of the City of Perth . The name is derived from the Gaelic word Meodhan,
signifying "middle “ . Perhaps because
of its location and proximity to Perth ,
it has featured in numerous tales concerning our ancient heritage
. Let me
start off this Blog with reference
to my namesake , Culen who was crowned
King of Scots at Scone in 972 AD. Culen
was a bit of a high liver
and not exactly the most moral of individuals
. To quote the words of Victorian
author and cleric , William Marshall : “ He abandoned himself to the grossest of licentiousness and in a few
years was such an abhorrence to the Nation that a Parliament was summoned to meet at Scone for the purpose of disposing him “ . Culen was on his way
there when he was ambushed ,attacked and killed by the Thane of Methven . The Thane had saught revenge for the alleged abuse of his daughter by the monarch
. A scribe of the period recorded : “ Culen , not knowing w…

Retired part time lecturer at Perth College and former rugby correspondent to our local paper the Strathearn Herald .Former President and a Honorary Member of Crieff & Strathearn Rugby Club. Written 4 books on the local history of Strathearn .